Wildflowers and Lichens in Mingarry

Mingarry Lodges consists of areas of woodland, short grassland, meadow and bog. The woodlands behind the lodges are mainly composed on birch and oak, with beech, larch and Scot’s pine. There is some willow and alder in the wetter areas. The ground layer consists mainly of bilberry, hard fern and purple moor grass, dotted with bluebell, common cow-wheat, dog violet, primrose, lesser celandine, wood anemone, wood pimpernel, wood sage, heather and tutsan.

Distinctive lichen communities are found in these local Atlantic woodlands, including parmelion, lobarion, usneion and graphidion, a real treat for lichenologists.

The marshy/bog areas support yellow flag iris, ragged robin, cuckoo flower, purple loosestrife, marsh woundwort and hemp agrimony, marsh thistle and devil’s bit scabious, which are resplendent according to season.

The grassland/ meadow areas support heath spotted orchid, common spotted orchid, northern marsh orchid and greater butterfly orchid, as well as yarrow, meadow buttercup, knapweed, red clover, white clover, bugle, self-heal and greater bird’s foot trefoil.

 

 

 

Moidart, Ardnamurchan and Beyond

For the botanist, there is a chance to discover the woodland flora of a range of habitat types including Atlantic oak woodland, coppiced hazel woodland, Tilio-Acerion forest, and remnants of the Caledonian pine forest. Take time to explore up close salt marsh, coastal grassland (machair), wet grassland, upland grassland, wet heath, dry heath, bog and montane habitats of Lochaber, each with its distinctive flora.

Revel in the many different species of orchid found in the region, including bog orchid, common spotted orchid, early purple orchid, heath spotted orchid, northern marsh orchid, Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid, Lapland Marsh Orchid , narrow-leaved helleborine , greater and lesser butterfly, fragrant orchid, frog orchid, lesser twayblade and Irish ladies tresses.

 For the lichenologist, the mild and wet climate supports an abundance and diversity of lichens with distinctive assemblages of parmelion, lobarion, usneion and graphidion associated with Atlantic oak woodland, hazel coppice and Caledonian pine woods, a real treat for lichenologists.